Mozilla Firefox Passes 1 Billion Download Mark

The main challenger to Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser just keeps getting stronger. Just a few days ago, Mozilla revealed that its Firefox browser had surpassed the 1 billion downloads mark, with no intention of slowing down.

Mozilla announced the impressive marker on July 31 with a celebratory Twitter feed. Mozilla has used the event to emphasize the viability of Firefox's challenge to market leader Internet Explorer (IE), which Microsoft has neatly packaged with each version of its ubiquitous Windows operating system software.

Windows 7 Could Have Impact

But time may be running out on Microsoft's tidy IE toss-ins. Across the pond, the European Union recently ruled that the Redmond-based software giant must separate Internet Explorer from the upcoming Windows 7, and that could have a dramatic impact on the browser market. The ruling is very good news for Mozilla, which has seen initially surging popularity decline slightly in recent years.

A web site dedicated to the 1 billion download plateau was launched August 3rd. At time of writing, Mozilla was quiet about the site's content, but expect plenty of corporate bragging. And maybe they deserve it; the open-source browser has proven itself a safe and secure alternative to the mighty IE.

Mozilla Stats Impressive, but so is IE

As of July 31, Mozilla's Firefox was being downloaded at an incredible rate: 24 times per second, in fact. Altogether, industry analysts StatCounter estimate that Firefox's version 3.0 holds a 27.6 per cent share of the browser market. Microsoft's Internet Explorer, once a dominant owner of this realm, has seen its empire decline from a 65.8 per cent market share in March 2009 to just 54.4 per cent early last month. (Source: eweek.com)

Should Microsoft be shaking in its figurative boots? You decide: despite Firefox's growing popularity, Internet Explorer remains powerful, with its most recent version, IE8, downloaded an astounding 200 million times in just 4 months. (Source: cnet.com)